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22 THE OSHAWA TIMES, Monday, July 31, 1961 PORT PERRY'S BUSY MAIN STREET ATTRACTIVE PLACE QUEBEC VOTE Women in Quebec were granted the franchise in provin- cial elections for the first time in 1940. BON ssi ® By the Hour ® By the Day ® By the Week J. ORDE MARINE 985-2351 Village Of Port Perry Was Incorporated In 1872 The village of Port Perry was incorporated in 1872. The history of the place dates back to many years before its incorporation. The earliest reports from the area reached the shores of Lake Ontario by means of Chippewa Indians who trapped fur-bearing animals and brought their pelts to Oshawa harbor. White settlers began pushing back into the interior of what is now Ontario County. With the settlers went the trading posts and as a result such a post came to the shores of Lake Scu- gog. As in many instances of Canadian history, trading posts sprung into communities. Such was the case of Port Perry. In 1845, Peter Perry came and settled in the area. He built a small general store and the im- mediate area on which he con- structed his log structure be- came known as Perry's Cor- ners. Perry began to organize the eommunity to make improve- ments to their area. He was in" strumental in proposing the Whitby to Manchester road. He was a public and private benefactor, and many farmers made their farms prosperous because of the help he was al- ways ready to lend to his neigh- bors. He was a remarkable man of shrewdness and sagacity and he early saw how much the people of this county would be benefitted by being separated, for municipal purposes, from the county of York. He became the prime mover In agitating for the separation of Ontario County from York County, and 'was successful in this movement. As a member of the United Counties Council, and as a member of the On- tario Legislature representing the riding embracing the south- ern portion of the county of On- tario, his influence and the vigor of a keen mind were used in that direction. Although he did not live to see it, he laid the sure foundation for separation and independence. As the found- er of the town of Port Perry he was instrumental in many projects for its welfare. He died on August 24, 1851, at the com- paratively early age of 58. He left several daughters and two sons, Robert E. Perry and John Ham Perry. John Ham Perry, after his father's death, played an impor- tant part in the municipal and political history of the county of Ontario. He continued to a suc- cessful conclusion and separa- tion issue which was initiated by his father, and was Reeve of the township of Whitby and Warden of the county. He took an active part in the promotion of railway and other enter- prises. One of his projects which finally bore fruit, was that of building a railway from Georgian Bay. This was first proposed in 1852, at a meeting of which he was the secretary. Then followed many years of discussion and planning, be- cause of the many interests in- volved. In the forefront of these was John Ham Perry. The greater scheme of a railway from Whitby to the Georgian Bay was nullified by the build- ing of other lines to the north, but after 15 years of agitation a charter was secured for a rail- way line to run from Whitby to Port Perry. The charter provided for a capital of $250,000 of which $100,000 had to be bona fide pri- vate subscriptions. After consid- erable difficulty, the required amount was obtained, three Port Perry men, Messrs. Sex- ton, Paxton and Bigelow, each subscribing $10,000. The town of Whitby gave a bonus of $50,000 and afterwards subscribed for $10,000 of stock. Whitby town- ship gave $15,000, Reach town- ship $30,000 and Scugog Island $2,500. Finally a contract for the building of the railway was let, and on Oct. 6, 1869, the first sod was cut up by Prince Arthur of Connaught, a son of Queen Vic- toria, and later the Duke of Con- naught. The ceremony took place in Whitby, and the day was one of celebration. The building of this railway which was later extended to Lindsay, a project towards which the village contributed $20,000, meant a great deal to the community and led to the incorporation of Port Perry as a village in 1872. The road to Lindsay was completed and put into operation in 1877. It con- tinued to serve the district for close to sixty years but in the days of the depression of the thirties, on account of the losses incurred, the railway was aban- doned and ceased to operate and most of the tracks were torn up. Loe bepidigil oobsd.. GREEN CHARCOAL OLIVER ¢, CONCRETE PRODUCTS LTD. J-3311 Welcome to Port Perry For Hardware it's W. H. PEEL HARDWARE G.E. Appliances -- C.I.L. Paints PH. 985-2431 PORT PERRY Welcome to PORT PERRY DROP IN AND VISIT US AT OUR NEW SHOW ROOM WE BUILD LARGE and SMALL and buildings of all kinds Repairs and Remodelling Good Materials and Workmanship Guaranteed OUR HOUSE DESIGNING SERVICE AT YOUR DISPOSAL LAKE SCUGOG LUMBER COMPANY LIMITED PORT PERRY 985-7391